Gravity Flu
by BungalowBear
Summary: Mabel comes down with the flu, and Dipper and Ford are the only ones there to take care of her. Includes Mabel and Ford fluff :)


"Kids, breakfast is ready! Get your butts down here!" Grunkle Stan called from downstairs, abruptly waking up the Pines twins in the attic.

Dipper sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Morning, Mabel." He yawned and looked over at her.

Mabel didn't answer.

"Mabel?" Dipper got up and walked over to Mabel's bed. He gently shook her shoulder and was shocked to see Mabel's pale and sweating face appear out of her blankets.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good." He stated worriedly.

"I'm good, Dip. Just a little tired." Mabel mumbled, slowly getting out of bed.

"You sure?" Dipper asked as they went down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Yep, don't worry about it, Dipping Sauce." She forced a smile through the throbbing pain in her head as they sat down at the table.

"Mornin', kids." Stan greeted as he walked over to the twins, placing a plate of pancakes in front of each of them, then setting his own plate on the table. Stan caught a glimpse of Mabel and paused. "You feelin' alright, kiddo?" He asked, his tone softening a bit. He walked over to her and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "You're burning up."

Mabel shook her head slowly, keeping her eyes down. She was very dizzy and her nausea was slowly rising, especially with the smell of pancakes wafting through the kitchen. "I-I don't feel good.."

Stan frowned empathetically. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Try to take it easy today." He ruffled her hair and sat down at the table with them. "Remember, I'm leaving after breakfast, and I'm not gonna be back until tomorrow morning. All I ask is that you don't burn the shack down." He joked, eating his pancakes. "Ford will keep an eye on you kids while I'm gone."

"You're not going to do more pug smuggling, are you?" Dipper asked.

Stan stared at him for a moment before speaking. "It's not important." He said, quickly changing the subject. "Mabel, if you're still feelin' sick later, the cold and flu medicine is in the bathroom."

Mabel nodded, picking at her food. "Thanks, Grunkle Stan." She said softly. Her stomach churned and she closed her eyes, hoping the nausea would go away. Dipper rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

Later that morning, Stan said goodbye to the twins and Ford and left for the day. Ford went back down to his lab while Mabel and Dipper sat in the living room watching tv. As time passed, Mabel started feeling worse. She laid back in the chair, closing her eyes as a dizzy spell overwhelmed her. She suddenly felt her stomach churn and her face went pale as she let out a groan of discomfort.

Dipper looked over at her and noticed her skin turning even more pale. "Mabel, you okay?" He asked carefully.

Mabel felt saliva pooling under her tongue and she quickly realized what was going to happen next. She got up and bolted to the bathroom before violently throwing up her breakfast from earlier that morning.

Dipper quickly went to the open door of the bathroom and saw Mabel on her knees in front of the toilet, coughing as her shaking hands held onto the toilet bowl. He stood behind her and held the majority of her brunette hair back as she gagged a few times before retching again. She groaned as her stomach cramped and kept holding onto the porcelain bowl as her stomach repeatedly churned. "G-Get Ford..." She whimpered.

Dipper quickly left the bathroom and headed down the stairs to the gift shop. He entered the password into the vending machine and ran down the steps to the elevator as soon as the door opened. Ford heard the elevator start up and sighed, preparing himself to lecture whatever twin who decided to once again enter his lab without permission.

Dipper ran down the hallway and to the door of Ford's lab. Ford stood up and saw Dipper standing in the doorway. "Dipper, how many times have I told you not to-'' He didn't have time to finish his tangent as Dipper quickly interrupted him.

"But it's Mabel!'' He exclaimed, worriedly.

Ford's demeanor changed immediately upon hearing that something was wrong with his great-niece. ''Is she hurt?'' He asked frantically.

"No, but she's really sick, and we need your help!'' Dipper answered before him and Ford quickly headed to the elevator and back up to the gift shop. Dipper almost had to run to keep up with his great uncle as he walked swiftly up the stairs to the bathroom.

When they entered the room, they saw Mabel curled up on the floor, whimpering as her stomach kept cramping. Ford knelt down next to her, gently moving the hair out of her face. "Hey, Mabel.. Dipper told me you weren't feeling well."

Mabel only groaned in response as her stomach cramped again. Ford grabbed a thermometer and knelt back down beside Mabel. "Can you open your mouth for a second, honey?" He asked softly. Mabel slowly opened her mouth and Ford placed the thermometer under her tongue. Dipper sat down beside Mabel, comfortingly rubbing her shoulder as they waited for the result. After about a minute, Ford took the thermometer out of Mabel's mouth and read it: 102.1 degrees. Ford sighed sadly at the result and looked down at Mabel. "This is quite a fever you have, Mabel.."

Mabel whimpered as the throbbing in her head got worse, and her stomach suddenly churned again. She quickly sat up and held onto the toilet bowl again as she started gagging. Dipper held her hair back as she retched again. Ford rubbed her back as she spit out the foul tasting bile. She sat there panting for a moment as she waited for her stomach to settle. She soon flushed the toilet and slowly stood up. Dipper helped her into the living room and got her a blanket and a bowl as Ford came into the room with a glass of water and two pills. "These should help."

Mabel swallowed the pills with the water and curled herself up in the blanket. Dipper turned on the tv and stayed with Mabel as Ford went to the kitchen to make her some soup. Ford came back a few miutes later with a bowl of soup and some crackers. "Here you go." He placed the bowl on the dinosaur head beside the chair.

''I-I'm not hungry.." Mabel muttered. Her stomach was still churning and the thought of eating made her feel worse.

"I know, dear. But you need to have something in your stomach. It'll make you feel better, I promise." Ford told her before leaving her and Dipper alone again. Mabel managed to keep the soup down and soon fell asleep for the rest of the afternoon.

Later that evening, Mabel woke up to the sound of Dipper and Ford talking. She slowly opened her eyes to see the boys sitting on the floor in front of her, watching the television and chatting. Mabel was about to say something, but her stomach lurched and she scrambled to grab the bowl beside her and proceeded to throw up the soup she had eaten prior.

Ford and Dipper quickly turned around after hearing Mabel vomiting. They stood up and went to comfort her, with Dipper holding her hair back and Ford rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. Mabel groaned and quickly felt bile rush up her throat and into the bowl again. Her stomach soon settled and she slowly relaxed. Ford took the bowl from her and headed to the kitchen to wash it out. Dipper looked at Mabel's pale face worriedly. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

"Horrible.." Mabel groaned, holding her stomach and curling back up on the chair. "I-I don't want to throw up anymore.." She whimpered as Ford returned with a clean bowl and a cold cloth. He set the bowl down beside the chair and placed the cloth on Mabel's forehead to try to cool her down.

"I'm sorry, dear. Try to get some rest, hopefully you'll feel better in the morning." Ford rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. He and Dipper soon left Mabel alone in the living room as she slowly fell asleep.

Mabel slept for about four hours until she woke up to the feeling of her stomach churning violently. She quickly scrambled to grab the bowl beside her and proceeded to throw up into it, her stomach cramping and her throat burning. She panted tiredly, hoping that she would only throw up once. Unfortunately, more bile came up from her stomach and into the bowl again. She heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the living room, they belonged to her great uncle Ford as he rushed over to her. He carefully set the bowl down and carried Mabel to the bathroom as tears ran down Mabel's face, her illness starting to break her down both physically and emotionally. Ford helped her to sit on her knees in front of the toilet and held her hair back as they waited for Mabel's stomach to betray her again.

She managed to throw up bile one more time before breaking down, her emotions suddenly overwhelming her. Her stomach lurched and she started gagging, but there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up. She kept dry heaving and crying harder as the cramps in her stomach increased. She gripped the toilet bowl with white knuckles as her composure quickly fell apart.

"Shhh, Mabel breathe.." Ford rubbed her back and tried to calm her down. "You have to breathe, sweetheart. Calm down.." He tried his best to be comforting after being isolated from social interactions in the portal for so many years. "It's okay.." He said gently.

Mabel tried to breathe as tears ran down her cheeks. Her dry heaving was uncontrollable as she sobbed loudly, her whole body trembling. "I-I...I c-can't..." She whimpered through the convulsions in her body.

"Yes you can. Breathe, honey.. deep breaths." He spoke softly and kept rubbing her back.

She took a few staggering breaths as she tried to calm down. A loud sob escaped her as she turned around and held onto Ford, her shaking hands grabbing onto the back of Ford's shirt. Ford was quick to hold her, rubbing her tense and trembling form as he whispered soothing words into her ear.

Mabel nearly cried out in pain as her stomach cramped intensely. She held on tighter to Ford as tears soaked the front of his shirt.

"I know it hurts.. I know, I'm so sorry, sweetheart.." His voice wavered slightly as he watched his poor niece suffer. He hated seeing her in pain, it broke his heart.

"I-I w-want...my m-mom.." She gasped through her sobs. The sickness was making Mabel very homesick, and all she wanted right now was to hug her mom and hear her soothing voice. She sobbed harder because she knew that her mother was miles away from Oregon, and there was no way to see her in person. Ford's heart broke in two hearing Mabel's sobs for her mother. Ford understood, who didn't want their mom when they were sick?

"Mabel... sweetheart, I'm so sorry..'' He rested his hand on the back of her head and held her tightly in his arms. "It's okay... you're alright..'' He murmured into her ear. ''I need you to breathe with me, okay? Can you do that for me, honey?" Ford asked patiently, waiting for Mabel's response. Mabel, who was trying to listen to Ford through her sobs slowly nodded, her head still resting on his chest.

"Good. Try to take a deep breath in..'' He instructed. Mabel felt Ford's chest rise slowly as he took in a deep cleansing breath. She tried to match his breath, taking a shaky breath in.

"Good girl.. slowly exhale.'' Ford continued, slowly releasing his breath. Mabel followed, exhaling while her body trembled under Ford's hands.

"Great, let's do that a few more times, okay?" Ford asked softly, running his fingers through Mabel's brunette hair. Mabel nodded in response once again.

''Alright, breathe in.."

Mabel took a deep breath in, her breathing less shaky.

"Now breathe out slowly.'' Ford said softly, rubbing her back.

Mabel released the breath slowly and her body stopped trembling.

"Perfect. Let's do it again.''

After a few more breaths, Mabel's sobs reduced to soft hiccups as she sat in Ford's arms, finally relaxing. Ford sighed with relief and let Mabel sink into his embrace until her crying was only soft gasps into Ford's chest. "There we go.."

They sat like that for a few minutes until Mabel calmed down completely. After confirming that Mabel was okay, Ford carefully lifted her off the bathroom floor and carried her into the living room. He gently placed her down on the living room chair and got her a glass of water, along with some crackers and the puke bowl, which was cleaned out. Ford turned to leave Mabel alone when he heard her softly call out to him.

"Ford? Can you stay here with me?'' She asked tiredly.

''O-Of course.'' Ford stammered slightly as he walked back over to Mabel. Mabel stood up to let him sit in the chair, then laid back down in his lap after he sat down. "Goodnight, Grunkle Ford. Thank you..'' She mumbled as she fell asleep.

Ford was very surprised that Mabel called him "grunkle,'' as he thought that it was a term only used for his brother. He smiled warmly and kissed Mabel's forehead, which was slowly but surely cooling down, indicating that her fever was going down.

"Goodnight, dear.'' He laid his head back against the chair and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Stan returned home from his overnight errand and came into the house to find Ford and Mabel fast asleep in the living room chair. He smirked slightly before walking over, kissing Mabel's head and gently ruffling Ford's gray hair.

"Not bad, Poindexter. Not bad.''


End file.
